Circumcision of the Negros

This male circumcision procession involved spear-bearing warriors and musicians with drums leaving from typical West African houses. In the section where this image appeared, Astley was describing Mandingo peoples referenced from the Upper Guinea Coast. He explained how "all the Mohammedan Negroes strictly practice circumcision, a ceremony performed around age of 14 or 15" (p. 298-299). Thomas Astley (d. 1759) was a British bookseller and publisher who never went to Africa. His imagined localities and illustrations of Africa were informed by a library of travel books at his disposal.

Image Title

Circumcision of the Negros

RegID

SI-OB-811

Date

1745-1747

Title

Circumcision of the Negros

Source

"Plate XLV" in Thomas Astley (ed.), A New General Collection of Voyages and Travels, vol. 2 (London: Thomas Astley 1745-1747), facing p. 298.

Language

English

Item sets

Pre-Colonial Africa: Society, Polity, Culture

Spatial Coverage

Africa--Rivers

Reproduced In

Jean Baptiste Labat, Nouvelle Relation de l'Afrique Occidentale, vol. 2 (Paris: Chez G. Cavelier, 1728), facing p. 280.

Researchers

Jerome Handler; Michael Tuite; Henry B. Lovejoy Graduate Research Assistants: Tiffany Beebe; Travis May

Last Updated

1-Feb-17; 21-Aug-19

Identifier

Astley006